In order to assess the global driving factors affecting the status and population threads of desert lizards IUCN Red List database were reviewed covering the years 2006 to 2021. The findings show that residential/commercial development, agriculture, invasive species, human disturbance, energy/mining, pollution, transportation and biological use had a profound negative influence on both critical status and population trends. The Arabian spiny-tailed lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis is a common lizard species in the arid habitats of Kuwait. The ecology and genetics of this species were investigated through a series of field studies and laboratory experiments carried out between 2017 and 2019 at four sites in Kuwait desert (two protected and two unprotected areas). The study targeted the prioritization of the most important areas for the conservation of this species using the Maximum Entropy Distribution Model (MaxEnt). Based on the results of MaxEnt, distribution and prioritisation maps for the conservation of this lizard in Kuwait were developed. The results showed that Al-Huwaimliya and Nuwaiseeb areas were the most important areas for conservation of Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis. To assess the condition of the populations of this lizard, a morphometric study was conducted at the four study sites adopting the Scaled Mass Index (SMI). The results showed that the protected areas did not affect the SMI of this lizard. The study also revealed that the lizard is capable of adapting to the scarcity of resources in unprotected areas. Microsatellite genotyping was used to investigate genetic diversity within the different Uromastyx populations at the four study sites. The results show that protected areas did not promote genetic heterozygosity within the Arabian spiny-tailed lizard, while unprotected habitats had no impact on genetic diversity within populations of this species. Based on the results of the studies conducted, it is recommended that the conservation responses of the government sectors be restructured and modified to better protect the hotspot habitats of this species to produce more positive impacts on it. Furthermore, the results of the study call for a greater understanding of the ecology of this species for more effective conservation actions at the local, regional and international levels.